Eating and Fishing
We are still having some activity here and there at the nest, mostly the chicks. One morning this past week, one was hanging out at the nest and caught sight of the school of small fish surfacing in the water below. He took flight three different times and dove down towards them. Here’s the third time, note how the talons and legs are extended, then the chick brings the legs forward to try and snag a fish. The force and even the water spray is impressive!
To show again the legs and talons extended, here’s two more photos from the first dive.
The chick was unsuccessful each of the times so a rest and talon cleaning were in order.
I’ve seen Ollie twice this week, a couple mornings ago he brought a stick to the nest, with a chick landing shortly thereafter appearing to have expected a fish. He made a lot of begging cries but Ollie was too busy working on the nest.
Ollie stopped by again yesterday morning with a headless fish. He patiently waited, made a few low calls, upon which a chick appeared within minutes. In the following photos you can see how aggressive the female chick is taking the fish from her dad (note the chick is larger than her dad which is a sign this chick is female). Ollie willingly passes the fish and then leaves to skim and wash his talons.
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Olivia. If anyone within the community possibly sights her, let me know. For identification, her chest is speckled brown whereas Ollie’s is mostly white with only slight speckling. Thank you!
